Category: Diary
Myths About Drugs and Booze In the Creative Process Have Been Perpetuated By People Who Should Know Better
Originally published in Seattle Weekly Let’s be honest: Drinking alcohol and taking drugs is fun. Unfortunately, in America there’s a culturally ingrained fear of mentioning this obvious fact, and that obscures and garbles every attempt at rational conversation on the topic…. » More inside
Seattle’s 4 Most Conspicuous Rock Crowds
Originally published in Seattle Weekly Going out to a rock concert in Seattle can often feel like a foreign-exchange program. I’m not talking about the musicians, but about the concertgoers from Seattle’s other walks of life whom you might not otherwise… » More inside
Superfans: They Love You First. They Book You Shows. It Gets Complicated
Originally published in Seattle Weekly I got a letter the other day from a friend and self-professed “superfan” asking my advice in navigating some indie-rock politics. A local band that she loved dearly was being courted by major labels, and though… » More inside
How Seattle Leaders Support KEXP’s Move Will Say A Lot About the City They Envision It to Be
Originally published in Seattle Weekly It looks by now that the redevelopment of the Fun Forest at the Seattle Center will not include a new facility for KEXP. The citizens’ panel charged with making the recommendation chose the Dale Chihuly Ashtray… » More inside
Shit-Talking’s Only a Problem When You’ve Got Something to Hide
Originally published in Seattle Weekly Recently I was talking to a local music-industry guy about the social awkwardness he felt when he moved to Seattle from the Midwest. Specifically, my friend said that the hardest adjustment for him was that musicians… » More inside
John blogs on GIVESeattle.org contribution
A couple of months ago the folks at GIVE asked me if the Long Winters could drum up a song for their benefit project, and it put us in a tough spot. We didn’t have a finished track from our new record,… » More inside